Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron following a signing ceremony of a new defence deal at The Elysee Palace in Paris, France September 28, 2021. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS ATHENS, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Greek lawmakers ratified on Thursday a new defence agreement between Greece and France that will …
Greek parliament approves defence pact with France | Reuters Read More »
Where does this leave us?
Well, with the increasing obvious but sad reality that Erdogan is no longer a partner to Europe’s or America’s democratic security. Instead, Erdogan requires confrontation. The United States should join with the European Union in preparing sanctions on the Turkish central bank. The Turkish lira is already at pathetic lows (in no insignificant part, thanks to Erdogan’s economic mismanagement). Let’s see whether the sultan feels so supreme when his economy implodes.
In a highly unusual move, a French presidential official said that the French ambassador to Turkey was being recalled from Ankara for consultations and would meet Macron to discuss the situation in the wake of Erdogan’s outburst.
“President Erdogan’s comments are unacceptable. Excess and rudeness are not a method. We demand that Erdogan change the course of his policy because it is dangerous in every respect,” the official told AFP.
The Elysee official, who asked not to be named, also said that France had noted “the absence of messages of condolence and support” from the Turkish president after the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside Paris.
“What is the problem of this person called Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level,” Erdogan said in a speech at a provincial congress of his AK Party in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.
“What else can be said to a head of state who does not understand freedom of belief and who behaves in this way to millions of people living in his country who are members of a different faith?” Erdogan added.
Turkey’s continuing provocation in the Eastern Mediterranean was not to be discussed at this Summit and the issue was reopened due to the insistence of the Greek Prime Minister and Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiadis. Finally, the European Council’s “strong disapproval” of the new unilateral and provocative actions of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, including recent research activities, was included in the Conclusions. There is also an explicit reference to the need for Turkey to respect Security Council Resolutions 550 and 789 on Varosha in occupied northern Cyprus. The European Council called on Turkey to reverse these actions and work to reduce tensions in a consistent and systematic manner, and warned that it would continue to monitor the issue closely.
Turkey’s involvement in the South Caucasus conflict and decision to test the S-400 missile system show that Erdogan is continuing to embark on new adventures despite his recent failure in the eastern Mediterranean. Although Turkey’s gunboat diplomacy in the eastern Mediterranean ended in failure, Ankara’s direct involvement in the South Caucasus conflict and decision to …
What’s next for Erdogan after eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus? – Al Monitor Read More »
Ankara enraged by bill which would require greater scrutiny of mosques, and imams to be trained and certified in France Turkey on Sunday condemned France for its plans to pass a law on what French authorities describe as “Islamic separatism”, calling it a “dark mentality” and provocation against Muslims all around the world. French President …
‘Dictatorial’: Turkey slams Macron’s new Islamic separatism law – Middle East Eye Read More »